Julia Norman, in the Common Dreams Dec. 9 article reported above, also writes that the U.S., British and Australian defense ministers held a meeting in the Pentagon on Dec. 10, solidifying the military connections of the AUKUS (Australia, U.K., U.S.) agreement. Defense Secretary Hegseth, U.K. Defense Secretary John Healey and Australian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defense Richard Marles met with reporters before a trilateral exchange at the Pentagon. The intention, Norman writes, is to “hold the line at the first island chain—from Japan through Taiwan to the Philippines—and now down to northern Australia.” This is one of the central policy points also made in the U.S. National Security Strategy document.
While the U.S. claims this is purely for defense, Norman writes: “In any hypothetical crisis in Taiwan, allied submarine superiority is seen as key to breaking a Chinese blockade. AUKUS is meant to ensure Australia is not simply a supporting actor but an operational partner in such a catastrophic scenario.
